Through Those Eyes
by Kemiya
Summary: When a mysterious young woman is found in a fleeing escape pod, Albel The Wicked is placed in charge of protecting and watching over her. But when she refuses to speak and hides away in a shell of secrecy, Albel learns just how bonds are formed.
1. The Imposter Part 1

**Title: Through Those Eyes**

**Author:** Kemiya

**Warnings:** Language, Angst

**Notes:** Ok, this fanfic is actually not a yaoi, even though I do prefer AlbelxFayt action, this idea popped into my empty head not to long ago, so here you are reading it! So, I hope you enjoy it, and, for those AlbelxFayt lovers out there, I strongly recommend reading "I Thought I Knew You" by Ari. It's a slow paced fanfic, and very interesting… now, if only she would hurry her ass up and UPDATE! Oh, and don't worry, I'm not just doing her a favor, 'cause I don't know her, but I think she needs more reviews and support to complete this totally awesome fanfic soooo… please read her fic, and mine, and don't forget to review on both! I really want to hear your opinions for this story!

**Extra Notes:** Ok, I'm trying my bestest to stay in character for this story, so if I get out, please please please please please tell me, ok? There's going to be future lemons in later chapters, so keep that in mind, I have to force my victims in a room together with the right settings first…so don't give up on me!

**Disclaimer:** Sigh Well, how many of you people know what this is gonna say? Well, I'll skip over my first part, but… I do claim Izumi as my own. If anyone has heard her name before, I am sorry, but I have never heard of it, so please save your gasoline for a time when you feel like throwing flames at someone else, ok?

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**Chapter 1: The Imposter (Part 1)**

Fayt sighed in relief, trudging up the small set of steps leading into the Diplo. He stopped in the hall's entrance, moving out of the way for the line of people behind him, being sure that everyone who had exited the small aircraft boarded as well.

Following behind him, Maria, Cliff, and Mirage silently headed for the Bridge, where they would command the ship to their will; in this case, getting back to Elicoor II. Adray boarded after them, setting off to the small cafeteria, Nel right behind him.

As Sophia rose up the steps, she smiled contently at Fayt, and walked off to her room, followed by the expected "thud" of Albel 'accidentally' ramming into his side, glancing evilly back at him through the corner of his eye, obviously still ticked about being dragged all the way to an even lower planet.

Fayt sighed again, watching Albel disappear down the stairway, leading to his, and everyone else's rooms. The blue haired boy then turned, seeing that his job was complete, and headed for the downstairs space as well, taking the steps opposite of Albel's chosen path, as to avoid death at an early age.

He was the one who had dragged everyone out here, actually. He had been concerned for Meena and Niklas, and convinced Maria to take them to Vanguard 3, so as to be sure that the Executioners had not yet reached their planet.

He was wrong, they were all fine for the moment, and that had caused a lot of wasted time for his group members, ticking off most of them, including Maria. Fayt had learned after awhile that she could be almost as bad as Albel when angered, and even though it was rare, she had been pretty frustrated lately, though nobody seemed to know why. But, as bad as she could be at times, she was still no match for Albel The Wicked.

_Albel_. Fayt felt a headache coming on at the thought of him. They had seemed to be getting along so well, Fayt had even started to feel something new between them, something he thought wasn't possible for him to feel about a man. _Especially that man_. But it was there, and it had kept growing, until one day it was shattered into tiny, unfixable pieces. The thought replayed in his head almost perfectly, as if it had been recorded secretly in his head for this very time.

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They were staying at the Peterney Inn. Cliff had gone for a walk, Sophia and Mirage had gone shopping, and Nel and Maria were out visiting the Chapel. Adray was staying in Aquaria, filling out the Queen's tasks.

Fayt had been staring blankly out of a window, watching the people slowly starting to flood into the streets, when Albel walked into the room, a scowl crossing his face, as usual.

"What the hell are you looking at," he spat, glaring at the back of the blue haired boy's head.

"I was just watching the sunrise," Fayt said simply, turning to face the man.

"Don't lie to me, fool," he shot back. "You're eyes were down, but the sun is up, do you not know which direction is up?"

"Yea, so I lied," he answered, looking into the man's eyes harder, a small twinge of annoyance in anger in his own. "It's not like you've never sinned, or is it just that you were meant to kill all of those innocent people?"

Albel closed his eyes, leaning against the doorframe, obviously bored, "Yea, so what if I did? And just what exactly are you gonna do about it?"

"Well, it is kind of strange how you can go through life enjoying people's suffering, and not even feel the slightest amount of guilt," he said, turning his gaze back to the glass.

"Hmph, you're pathetic, always so caught up with your conscience," the older man said, not bothering to open his eyes. "You weaklings make me sick."

"So why don't you just kill us too," Fayt said, looking back at Albel, his voice growing in anger. "You've had plenty of chances in the past, so why just sit around with us weaklings? Are you _that _desperate to get away from us, do you think we're better off dead? _Do you really hate us that much!"_ Fayt's face was burning now, tears threatening to start their journey from his eyes to the bitter cold ground. He fought them back, staring coldly at Albel, who was now looking back at him, eyes filled with hate.

"Don't even start that shit with me, maggot! You know I hate you and those piles of useless scum you call friends! The only reason you're alive today is because of an order, and once that order is completed, you'll be lucky if you make it back to that hunk of metal you call a ship!"

He was rising to meet Fayt's tone now, stomping farther into the room. Fayt rose, even though Albel was still taller then him by a few inches, and stared hatefully into his blood red eyes.

"Yea, I know Albel, you're so caught up in your love for death and pain that you think you'd be better off alone in the world. Well, I hate to brake it to you, but you're human too, and just like us, _you're also pitiful!"_

Albel was enraged at this, his eyes literally darkening. Without leaving the boy's gaze, his hand came to grip the hilt of his sword, which had never left his side. Fayt saw this, smiling wickedly to himself at the thought of angering the man this far.

"What? You gonna kill _me_ now?" he teased, knowing that, no matter how blood thirsty the man could be, Albel was not one to go out of the way of a command because of a stupid fight. He growled, turning towards the door, and walked away, his hand still resting on his katana.

"Hmph, rot in Hell, Maggot, _rot in Hell."_

He disappeared after that, coming back to the Inn only after sunset, leaving Fayt to wonder if his anger was really worth losing all of the time he had spent into trying to get through to the man. They never really talked much after that. Well, never talked much in a _friendly_ manner.

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Fayt shook those thoughts away, reaching his room and walking inside, a swift "whoosh" and a small breeze behind him told him he was now alone and secure. He made his way over to the bed, pulling off his shoes and socks, lying on the small bed, face to the ceiling.

He sat there for a while, thinking over all that had happened, trying desperately to remember his past as a child, in the Leingod Research Facility. Seeing that it wasn't going to happen for a while, he pulled himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Spotting a small red candle on the desk across from him, he faced it, focusing all of his attention on the small wax mold. After a few seconds, he saw the shine of a piercing blue light just above his forehead, knowing exactly what it was.

He pictured the candle being slit horizontally in three, putting a little more concentration into it now. In an instant the candle was broken, laying in stacks on the desk, the wick along with it. But, as usual, there was a slip up, beside it; a blue plastic cup was in three also.

Fayt groaned, resting his head in his palm and rubbing his temples before rising to clean up the mess. No matter how much training Maria gave him, he could never truly master his power to destroy.

After he finished throwing away the plastic and wax he yanked the covers of the bed up. He crawled under, reaching over to the lamp and flipping the switch in 'OFF' position, leaving him submerged in darkness. He rolled over onto his side, facing away from the door, and just laid there with his eyes closed, letting sleep have its way with him.

After what seemed like only an hour to the boy, he was awoken to a soft voice from what he thought was beside him.

"Fayt? Sorry to disturb your rest, but we need you in the sick bay right away." The voice faded away, followed by the "click" of the speakers, telling Fayt that had been the intercom.

He sat up, flipping the lamp back on and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Pulling on his shoes, he glanced at the clock on the wall, seeing that he had actually had about four hours of sleep, instead of just one. He combed his hair quickly, curiosity taking hold of him from the urgency in the woman's voice. _'What could possibly be the problem?'_ He thought, heading out the door and down the hall.

When he reached the Sick Bay, he was surprised to see only Cliff, Maria, and the doctor. They were all in the back, around the small table used for patents with an upset stomach, or any other reason for laying down. As he walked over to the small crowd, Cliff spotted him, turning to look into the boy's emerald green eyes.

"Well, someone's up early," he said, motioning the boy over. "Look what we found." Fayt walked over to the table, surprise running through him as Cliff moved out of the way so he could get a better look.

"What the hell-"

"We found her in an escape pod passing near the ship," Maria interrupted. "She's likely to have come from Earth, and has been unconscious for some time now. The doctor gave her a thorough exam, and some medication. She'll be fine within a few hours; she just needs some rest, that's all. I'm having a room set up for her now." Fayt remained silent, looking over the girl, shocked.

She looked pretty young, about his age, nineteen, possibly twenty, and her hair was long and flowing, much like Maria's, except for length and color. It was actually a bit longer, reaching much of the lower back, colored with a light lavender, much to his surprise.

Her skin was pale as the dead, though she was certainly alive, and she was dressed in a dark gray 'warrior's' shirt with brown cloth sticking out on each hole, most likely there to add comfort, but also give it style. A matching low-cut skirt, also gray, followed the shirt, slit on both sides and stitched together by two thin x-shaped brown leather stripes.

High, gray thigh boots completed the outfit, adding a rather sexy look. But, what really caught Fayt's attention was the design on the clothing.

Placed in the center of her shirt, a red crescent moon with the bottom looping down a bit, in a curve, and a mark similar to a check mark to its top-left corner, a small circle exactly opposite from it. Finishing off the design as a flame-like mark in the center, also red.

On her hands were grey gloves with the fingers cut off.

He pondered over this, looking down at the girl when a hard slap on his shoulder called him into attention.

"Hey, try not to fall over, alright," Cliff said, throwing an old brown leather bag in the boy's arms. "Found that in the pod," he said. "I still don't see why she'd bring it though. There are just a few CDs, an old book, torn pictures, and a name."

"A name?" Fayt asked, puzzled at the bag.

"Yea, I think it's hers, it's written on the inside flap."

Fayt opened the bag, pulling the flap into the light, and squinting to read the writing. "Hm, Izumi huh? Well, we'll have to ask her some questions when she wakes up," he said, handing the bag to Maria, who was having two of her assistants carry the girl to a waiting room.

"Yea, like her age, phone number, if she's single…" Cliff answered.

"Give it a rest, Cliff," Fayt said, heading for the door. "Oh, and speaking of, come get me once she's up, I need to find some stuff out."

"I will, heh, you can count on me!" he said back, a smirk splayed across his handsome face.

"And keep your hands to yourself, will you! She'll be freaking out enough once she sees that she's no longer in her escape pod," he called from the hall.

"Damn," Cliff scowled, heading for the Bridge yet again.

**To Be Continued…**

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Alright, first chapter down. Wow, this is going to be harder than I thought. Just so you know though, I will not be waiting 20 years to update on only one chapter like _some_ people cough cough Ari Maxwell... Well, I guess it's on to chapter 2 huh? Please give me some reviews to read. I know you hear that all the time from everyone else, but I'm different from them, I NEED THEM! 


	2. The Imposter Part 2

**Title: Through Those Eyes**

**Author: **Kemiya

**Warnings: **Language, Angst

**Notes:** Alright, I got SOME reviews, but I could use more. It took me a bit to finally finish this chapter, but hey, your reading it now so don't complain. Of coarse, it probably looks like I'm the one doing all the complaining right? Oops. Sorry, but I'm really tired right now, lack of sleep, you know? And it's all this fanfic's fault! Just read.

**Disclaimer: **Albel, Fayt, Cliff, Nel, Roger, Adray, Peppita, Sophia, and Queen Elisabeth III are all yours, give me Izumi.

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Chapter 2: The Imposter (Part 2) **

Albel bolted up; grabbing his katana from his bedside instantly and pulled it from its sheath, ready to pounce. Silence enveloped around him, mixed with an inky blackness. After a few seconds he smirked to himself, impressed at his own swiftness. Remembering that he was on the Diplo,Albel blindly, but expertly slid his sword back into its cover, flipping on the light switch.

He ran a hand through his tousled hair, pulling on his shoes/boots. Looking over to the clock and noting that it was only 3:24AM, Albel sat in silence for a few moments, wondering if he should leave the room.

That's when he heard it again: a piercing scream bouncing off of the walls of the ship, reaching each room. He grabbed his sword, bounding out of the door in a matter of seconds.

He sped through the halls, weapon in left hand. Turning a corner, Albel noticed a confused Cliff standing in one doorway, the screams echoing from inside. The blonde looked up at the man running towards him, barely dodging a glass vase that came flying out of the doorway, smashing into tiny shards against the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Albel snapped, stopping in front of the man, assuming that he was spying on one of the girls.

"Hey, I was just checking up on her, I didn't know that she was awake yet! I was just following orders," he said, shrugging in confusion, wincing as the screams increased when the room's boarder caught sight of Albel The Wicked.

It was just then that Albel noticed that this particular room had always been empty, and the girl's voice was very unfamiliar. He looked away from the dark room, setting his gaze back upon the blonde man angrily.

"What the hells going on, Maggot," he asked harshly, confused at their current situation.

"Look, I wasn't trying to scare her," Cliff answered quickly, stepping out of the doorway. "We found her escape pod floating around earlier, and picked her up. I was just following Maria's orders and checking up on her. Turns out, as soon as I opened the door, she started freaking out."

Albel's eyes narrowed in annoyance, drilling holes through the blonde. "You mean to tell me that you idiots weren't going to let me know about this until later!"

He looked back into the room, not waiting for an answer, and set his sword aside, entering. Feeling along the wall by the door and finding the light switch, he turned it in the 'ON' position.

In an instant the room was flooded in a bright white light, revealing the small bed in the corner of the room, and the scared girl occupying it.

He walked slowly to the bedside, making sure to keep his distance in case she struck out at him. A deadly silence replaced her screams as she looked up at the strange man before her, his striking slender features showing broadly in the light. She noted his strange style of hair. Jagged ends painted with a rich and pure blonde, only to be cut short by an even fuller black. Two flowing locks of hair hovered behind him, each wrapped in a delicate white cloth, forming a sort-of 'rat tailed' appearance.

Albel narrowed his cold, bloody eyes as he glared down at the girl, as if looking strait into her soul. "Name, girl," he demanded frigidly, never dropping his stare. She swallowed a lump in her throat, trying her hardest to speak, slowly starting to calm down.

"I-Izumi," she whispered.

Albel abrupt ably turned, setting his gaze back upon the confused man in the doorway. "Get Fayt. I'm tired of this," he said coldly, walking away from the shocked girl, and shoving passed a dazed Cliff, grabbing his sword with a swift movement and heading back to his room.

As he did so, he didn't forget to whisper a 'Pathetic fools.' And, of course, Cliff didn't forget to overhear that, yelling a 'Hey, I didn't ask for your help anyways!' to the man's back, who continued his walk with a 'Heh, sure. And she was just throwing vases at you for fun, huh?' leaving the man to glance down at the glass scattered around his feet, before running off to fetch Fayt to tell him the rather 'exiting' news.

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Albel paced back in forth in his room, thinking over the last ten minutes of his life.

When he had turned on the light in that room, he had automaticly sensed something strange about the girl on the bed. Like she possessed some bizarre inner strength deep within her soul. But it was different from Sophia and Maria, and even Fayt's _wonderful_ ability to cause death and chaos was nowhere near this.

And there were her eyes too! They themselves held a mystery inside, seeing as they were _silver_. And the symbol on her blouse, it too was strange. He ignored her hair color, even though light purple hair wasn't your everyday thing, he figured she had to have put something in it to change the true color. But other than that her appearance was pretty normal. As he pondered these things, never stopping his pacing, there was a quiet knock at his door.

He stopped, annoyed at being broken from his train of thought, and walked over to the door and opened it quickly. On the other side was Mirage, a stern look on her face.

"There is an important meeting in the conference room at this time. You are needed to report there immediately," she turned to leave before adding "and we will be arriving for Elicoor II in approximately two hours, please prepare yourself after the meeting," She disappeared up the stairs, Albel following slowly behind.

'Great, what are they complaining about now?' he thought to himself, spotting the door to his destination. Opening it slowly, he immediately felt the pressure of eyes on him, looking up to see Maria, Fayt, Cliff, Mirage, Sophia, Nel, Adray, and a very unsure Izumi. He walked over to the large table, pulling out the only chair available, beside Adray, and slumping on the cushions, putting his elbows on the table, and resting his head on his hands.

He glanced over to Maria, letting her know he was ready. She sighed, relieved that everyone was finally there, and started off the conference.

"Ok guys, I would like to introduce you to Izumi, she was pulled out of a passing escape pod earlier yesterday, and she will be joining our group for awhile, until the Executioners are clear from her planet."

Everyone made at least one comment of 'Hi' or 'Hello,' that is, except for Albel, who just looked up from his view of the table, glancing over at the girl who, for some odd reason, was looking over at him the whole time. A mixture of both fright and curiosity rested in her silvery eyes. He rolled his own eyes quickly, turning away from the girl, and muttered a silent 'Whatever' to himself.

"I hope that everyone tries their best to make her feel more at home," She continued, speaking more to Albel than anyone else. Not like he noticed anyway. "Alright then, we will be reaching our destination in eighty-seven minutes, so please prepare yourselves, and take care of anything that needs to be done."

As everyone started to rise from their chairs and start towards the door, she stopped them. "Fayt, Cliff, and Albel, please remain here, I need to speak with you. And Mirage,"

"Yes Captain?"

"Please show Izumi back to her room."

"Roger."

Albel turned back to his seat, a bit angry at not making it out in time. He waited until the room emptied of people, leaving him all alone with Fayt, Cliff, and Maria. And the worst part was: Albel didn't even have his sword. _'Damn!'_

"You can move down here next to Cliff, Albel," Maria stated, gesturing him to switch seats. He pulled himself from the rather comfy chair and trudged over to the one beside the blonde, yanking it out from under the table and throwing himself into it.

"What now," he asked lazily, looking over at the girl through half closed eyes.

"Alright, let's get to the point, boys. All that we've learned so far is her name and that she was indeed from Earth; I had Lancar and Marietta look up the coordinates from the escape pod to prove that theory-"

"So, what does this have to do with me," Albel interrupted, hating that he was being held longer than most of the others.

"I need you to look after her, Albel."

"What?" he yelled, eyes wide in surprise.

"Please let me finish." She continued calmly. "Fayt, Cliff, and myself have explained our current situation to her, and have let her know all she needs to, but we just _can't_ get her to speak. Cliff says that he heard her answer your question earlier today, am I right?" She asked, looking over at the man sternly.

"Hmph, that means nothing."

"Well, never the less, you are to keep an eye on her and make sure she is not harmed. I think she trusts you more than anyone else on this ship, and she had her eyes on you during that whole meeting," she stated.

Albel was starting to overheat with anger. "Do you realize the mistake you're making! She'll be dead before sunset! You don't even know if she can fight, let alone handle a weapon, and how do you know what she fights _with_ if she does! _And_ if she lives she's gonna start trusting everyone way to much, and pretty soon we'll have another over-perky Sophia walking around!"

"Hey, you keep her out of this!" Fayt yelled defensively, rising from his seat and staring at the man before him. Albel just smirked, angering the teen even more.

"Fayt sit down, Albel that's enough." Maria cut in, turning back to Albel. "You will only have to make sure she is not injured in battle, and it would be appreciated if you could try to get a few words out of her, but I won't force you to do anything you don't want to."

Albel stood, dismissing himself and walking to the door. "Whatever, just don't expect that maggot to live for more than a day or two." The door clicked shut, and only Cliff, Fayt, and Maria remained.

"And you say you saw something in him?" Cliff asked through closed eyes, pointing the question to Fayt, who didn't answer.

"Well, let's just hope this works," Maria said while standing, followed by the two. "He didn't fight against the idea as much as I thought he would, but we'll just have to see how it goes. There's just _something_ about that girl that reminds me of him."

**To Be Continued…**

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Well, there's Ch2. Hope you liked it! Please review because I'll put up the next chapters faster, and I'll put up SOME ideas, if they fit the story pretty good, and if you need any questions answered please feel free to email me. R&R! My goal for this chapter is at least 5 to 10 reviews, so don't let me down! Flames accepted but please don't kill me. 


	3. Babysitting

Title: Through Those Eyes

**Author:** Kemiya

**Warnings: **Language, Violence, and a bit of Angst

**Notes:** Ok, I got a few good reviews, so thanks to those of you who were kind enough to support my work. I hope that, in the future, I will receive more reviews, even if they ARE flames. Chapters will be put up slower without them, sorry. Please bear with my stubbornness, and spare me as many flames as possible. I will take some ideas, but not all, so help me out, and thank you for your support in the last chapter, it helps me post faster. So, please enjoy! R&R!

**Extra Notes:** _Please the read note at bottem of page (in bold)._

**Disclaimer:** Sophia is not mine, (oh well) Maria's not mine either, (…) Mirage is off the list too, (uhhh) Nel quit, (uh oh…) Adray is missing, (…o…k…) Cliff ran off with Mirage, (crap) Fayt flew away, (oh darn) Albel never showed for rehearsal, (DAMN IT ALL!) BUT, Izumi has offered to be my buddy.

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Chapter 3: Babysitting **

'What in the hell does she think she's doing! Doesn't she at least know me enough by now to realize that the girl's gonna get _herself_ killed? Isn't she aware of the danger she's putting her in? She'd be better off with Fayt! _She knows that_. Right?' Albel stared down at the gleaming blade of his katana, which he held freely in the flats of his open palms. He wasn't afraid of its sleek edge, and he'd memorized every curve and cut in the deadly slab of steel. He knew hardest part of the hand to penetrate, and, of course, just the right blood vein to slightly graze that would leave a man bleeding to death.

He sat there on the strangely designed, but comfortable couch, back in his room, pondering and replaying the conversation that had been held only minutes before. _'I need you to look after her, Albel.'_ 'Bah, like that will last. Taking care of dogs takes a lot of responsibility, and _I_ was never really one to give a damn.'

Albel smirked at the thought, knowing it wasn't a lie. He grabbed up the small wrinkled cloth that had been resting on the couch beside him, and ran it along the blade of his sword. He never bothered to clean the reddish-black blotches that had seeped into the thread, seeing as they would never come out anyway, and he kind of liked the little reminders of his past victories.

After he had finished rubbing off the fingerprints he had left, he picked the sword's sheath from the coffee table, sliding it inside. Setting it to the side for later, Albel leaned forward, moving to the edge of his seat, and buried his face in his hands, muttering to himself.

"Oh those bastards are gonna pay-" He was cut off by the sound of urgent knocking coming from his door. Reaching for his sword, Albel trudged over to answer, throwing the door open quickly.

A startled looking Lancar stood on the other side. Albel's frown deepened, his anger steadily rising as he saw the man flinch slightly at the sight of Albel The Wicked's sword. After a moment, Lancar swallowed the large lump that clogged his throat, reassuring himself that this man wouldn't kill him.

"Um, the captain wishes to see you in the conference room," was all he managed before Albel pushed his way past with a silent 'Now what does that wench want!'

"Now what," Albel spat, stomping into the room and slamming the door behind him. He took the end seat again, slamming himself into its cushions, and throwing his feet up onto the table.

At the other end of the table he spotted Maria, as expected, accompanied by Fayt, Cliff and…Izumi. 'Shit,' he thought as he quickly eyed the girl. She had her head bent down, looking at the table's surface, her loose hair covering her face.

"I apologize for calling you back, Albel," Maria said sternly, causing the man to redirect his attention to the blue-haired girl. She was _so_ Fayt's twin.

"Well, you _did_," he came back smartly, much like a teenage troublemaker. "So, now what do you want from me?"

"We need to clear a few things between you and Izumi before we land. You are to watch over her on the field, just as any of us would do for you when necessary, use your symbology skills when they're needed, such as healing, and so on. We need you to show her to the weaponry and help her pick out a suitable weapon and armor. If she has any questions, you are to answer, is that clear?"

"Hmph, whatever," he said coldly, _why couldn't he just kill her? It would be so much easier that way…_"Are you done yet?"

Maria sighed, _why was this man so difficult?_ "Yes Albel, you can go. Just show her to the Weaponry. We will be landing in twenty minutes, please be ready," she said as everyone rose from their chairs.

Albel was the first to reach to door and as about to make a break for it when he spied Maria leading Izumi towards him. 'Why me?'

"Ok, you two are on your own now," Maria said when they were all together. "And, Albel," she muttered low enough for only him to hear. "Keep your hand, claw, sword, and any other object you might want to use to harm her to yourself, got it? I am _not_ going to have her dead."

"Get a life, wench," he spat back coldly, yanking the door open and stepping calmly from the room. As he walked a little further down the hall, he noticed the sound of footsteps close behind him. 'Damn, that girl. Well, the Weaponry is here, so let's just get this over with.' He stopped at a large black door with the label 'WEAPONRY' written across it, pulling it open and leading her inside.

He closed the door behind her, noticing the confused look on her face as she saw the large rack of weapons and armor set up against a sidewall in the small room.

There were rows of swords, varying from katanas to laser weapons; ceramic gantlets lied in a large pile next to them, followed by axes and magic staffs.

Albel watched as Izumi rummaged through the swords, looking over each and every type, and finally stopping at a simple katana, not much different from Albel's. She paused when she noticed a row of small white microchips, and was startled when she read 'Armor' written above the rack.

Albel saw this, rolling his eyes at her stupidity, and walked over to show her what to do.

"Look, girl," he started, snatching a chip from the rack, _this was so annoying!_ "You hook it onto your clothing and when you need it you push the button," he pointed to a small red button. "And it forms a shield around you. But you still have to watch it because it _can_ break with to much pressure. Not even these idiots can invent a device strong enough to make a person invincible." He shoved the tiny disk into her hands, going for the exit again. "Now come on, they're gonna be landing soon."

Albel showed Izumi to her room, telling her to get all of her things she would need during their 'trip', and waited outside of the door while she got ready. Apparently the glass from the vase had already been cleaned up, leaving the floor once again spotless.

Once Izumi was ready, she grabbed up her bag and walked out to meet Albel again. She found him leaning against the wall; arms folded across his chest, eyes shut like he was sleeping or just plain bored, a few black strands in his face. She held back a giggle as she stared curiously at the man; _he was just like a 17-year-old earth boy!_

Albel cracked open one eye. Glaring back at the strange girl standing only a few feet away from him, he pushed himself off of the wall, turning his back to her, and started for the stairs.

"It's about time. They're loading the transporters, so speed up the pace, will you," He growled, knowing she was not too far behind him. He didn't expect an answer though.

When they reached the transporters, they were greeted by Fayt, Cliff, Mirage, Adray, and Maria. Sophia and Nel had yet to show. As Cliff spotted both Albel and Izumi together, he couldn't help but grin as thoughts entered his mind, pissing Albel off.

"I will carve that smirk off your face if you do not make it disappear, Worm."

"Whoa, calm down a bit there, Albel. It won't be that bad, you two may even come to be friends, or something of the sort," he ended his statement with a cocky look.

That just about did it for Albel. He lost all but a tiny strand of patience, lunging for the man and seizing him harshly by the throat.

"Now," he hissed, moving in close enough for the gasping man to hear. His free hand, or rather 'claw' leisurely slid his sword from its sheath. "Do you remember when I mentioned something about carving that pathetic sm-"

"Put him down, Albel. _Now_," Albel slowly turned his head to the voice, refusing to release his victim. He set his murderous eyes on a rather angry but patient Maria. After tossing the command around in his mind a bit, trying to decide whether he should obey or not, he reluctantly thrust the man back, sending him sharply into the wall behind him.

This was not the first time that Albel had gone too far, and the previous attempts had been worse. But, the fact that Fayt, Mirage, Adray, Maria, and Izumi were all around and watching him prevented him from making the kill. And, to make matters worse, now Maria was going to pull him into the conference room _yet again_ to lecture him like a three year old, only this time it would be worse because of what Izumi had just seen her 'care taker' do. _This was so annoying! And wasn't he older than her anyways?_

"Hey, the worm asked for it," was all he said as he shoved his sword back into its case and pushed his way through to the transporter, glaring down at Cliff as Fayt helped him regain his footing.

The subject was dropped at that as the group followed him to the large machine. There was no use at fighting over it now anyways, seeing as the many hard 'thumps' could be heard down the hall as both Sophia and Nel quickly made their way up the stairs.

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**Location: Royal Castle of Aquios/ Audience Chamber**

**Two Hours Later**

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"You're Majesty, we have returned,"

"Ah, Nel, thank Apris. These new monsters are so powerful, I feared for your safety. Oh, I see that you bring with you yet another newcomer, would you care to introduce her to me?"

"Her name is Izumi, Your Majesty. We picked her up from an escape pod fleeing the planet Earth, Fayt and Sophia's home planet," Maria said once Nel turned to her for the expected information.

"Very well. What have you learned during your absence?"

"These Executioners are moving to every galaxy in the universe, destroying each one as they go. The Creator is hidden within a special region of our universe. We were able to use the Sacred Orb as a code to reveal that area, but we need some more time to prepare for the task ahead of us."

"And you are free to stay within the castle for as long as you wish. There is no need for rush."

"We thank you, Your Majesty," Nel finished as the group headed to the many spare rooms waiting for them. Since the recent war many of the kingdom's runologists had died, resulting in the increase of empty rooms throughout the castle. So, in short, everyone got his or her own room for the night.

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"Alright guys, let's split up for the supplies."

It was another beautiful morning in the sacred city, the sun just beginning its continuous journey across the heavens. As the group collected on the large stone bridge settled above the clear glittering water, Maria started handing out the daily tasks: supplies.

"Cliff, Adray, and Mirage, please go to the Outfitter's and pick up seven Clone Generators, two Lavenders, one Basil, and five Sage. If you still have any Fol left, we could use some Revival Powder." The three nodded and started out down the bridge, money in hand.

"Ok then, Fayt," said boy looked up. "You, Albel and Izumi can head for the Armorer's. We need a few cloaks for Sophia and Adray; their armor is the weakest at this point. That's really all we need from you guys at the moment, so you're free after that until check in time. Adray, Sophia, and I will get the blueberries, blackberries, and fresh sage at the bakery."

"Alright then, we're off," Fayt said as he lead his small group towards the clutter of buildings at the end of the bridge.

To Be Continued…

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All right, a little shorter, and a lot slower. I REALLY don't blame you if you didn't like that chapter, cause I didn't. So… I'm accepting lots of flames for this one, have fun…

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**Ok then. I was wondering... how come this thing says over 190 people have read my fanfic so far (or at least clicked on it) but only 8 people have reviewed? I'm loosing my faithon this story, and I'm only on chapter three... Please, if you wish for me to continue, let me know. I would deeply appreciate it, and I know that I could use some ideas, if you happen to have any. **

**Thanks to: Dragon Chyld; Ari Maxwell00909; Dragon Roar; Macky; and Calisto-lynn. I'm glad to know that you are enjoying it. **


	4. UnderEstimated

**Title: Through Those Eyes**

**Author:** Kemiya

**Warnings:** Language, Angst, and Violence

**Notes: **Alrighty then, onto Chapter 4! Boy, it sure is late… and I have school tomorrow too… wow… 2:32AM…shit… well, who gives a damn 'bout school, right? Oh crap… I have a science test first period…

**Disclaimer:** Well, if anyone here owns the most awesomist anime InuYasha, then that must mean that I own Star Ocean. Well, I'm still going to be a stubborn bitch and keep Izumi to myself! _'Silence fools.'_

**

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**Chapter 4: Underestimated **

The soft sound of bells was heard throughout the small store as the door was swung open, the bright morning light seeping through the cracks and shimmering on the many steel blades. The sound of footsteps followed, raising the head of the young woman at the front desk. "Welcome, need a new sword? Some armor, perhaps?"

"Hi, we're looking for two strong cloaks," said the blue-haired boy she had been speaking to.

"We have those," she exclaimed cheerfully and gestured to a back room. "Right through there, you'll find all the cloaks and armor you need. If you need any help, please feel free to ask."

"Will do, thanks," he said while he led a sulking warrior and emotionless girl through the back.

"Ok then, we've got all that we need and we still have some spare time before check-in," Fayt said as they exited the store, cloaks folded neatly in the blue bag hanging from his arm.

"Oh, and what do you suggest we do," Albel snapped.

"Well, I don't know. We could stay on the bridge or just walk around…" he trailed off as the other man started toward the bridge.

"Bah, you're such a useless worm. Besides_, I smell an Executioner_."

"What? Hey, Albel, wait up," he yelled as he ran after him, Izumi right behind him.

When they reached the bridge, Fayt was surprised to see that Albel had been right. Two Proclaimers were moving rapidly down the narrow lane towards them. As the three pulled out their weapons, Fayt suddenly remembered something that Albel wouldn't.

"Albel!" Said man looked up, his eyes already clouding over from the bloodlust coursing through him. "Don't forget what Maria said."

He gritted his teeth as he looked from Fayt to the girl behind him. _'Stupid wench.'_

As the Proclaimers reached them, the three lunged. Albel took the first one, and Fayt and Izumi took the second.

Albel jumped on his opponent, knocking it back into the bridge wall. He saw his chance to finish the Angel from Hell, images of the churning waters below flashing through his mind, but he decided on taking his time to savor the smell of its blood. As the Proclaimer regained its balance, he prepared himself for his Double Slash.

As the battle started Fayt took the charge of watching Izumi, there was no way in hell that Albel The Wicked would part from his own fight for some weak little girl! He pulled a sidekick, dodging the Dark Sphere that was aimed for him and smacking his foot into its side.

Izumi came from behind, slashing her sword in an X-shaped pattern and pulling the blade horizontally through the center. Immediately, white shockwaves sprung from the outline in that exact form, smashing into the beast and causing a pained yell.

Without a moment's hesitation, she forced the sword back around, slamming the deadly blade deep into the beast's stomach. It gasped at her swiftness, blood streaming from the corner of its mouth, and fell slightly against the steel slab. Izumi pulled the weapon out promptly, pushing the dying Executioner to the ground behind it.

She straitened, sliding her sword back into its sheath for later cleaning. Fayt stood to the side, a traumatized expression splayed across his face. _What had just happened?_ Wasn't she supposed to be the _'Weak Little Girl?'_

Albel had just destroyed his victim, sending it into the flowing waters of the river, when he noticed that Fayt and Izumi were already finished. 'They _b- beat_ me!' he noted the look on Fayt's face as the teen stared at the girl. 'Something _had_ to have happened,' he thought as he saw the Executioner on the ground, blood pooled around it, dead.

"How did _you two_ beat _me,"_ he practically yelled as he put his katana away, glaring at the boy.

"Hey, don't look at me, it was all _her,"_ Fayt said breathlessly, pointing to the innocent looking girl.

Albel literally felt the oxygen leave his body as he stared at the young woman. She simple glanced at him and turned toward the growing figures in the distance.

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Maria paced back and forth in the room, deep in thought. Fayt had just explained the event with the Proclaimers, and she wasn't sure of how to approach the situation. "Well, we could put her in Woltar's training area, at Kirlsa. If what you say is true, then we might have a great ally on our hands."

"Do you want me to tell Cliff, then?"

"Yes, that would be best. But be sure to let him know to keep it to himself."

"Can do." Footsteps were heard as the blue-haired-boy exited.

'_But why is she hiding her strength? Why dosen't she just come out and tell us?' _Maria thought as she sat in the chair in the corner of the room.

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"Hey, Albel?"

"Yes, Maggot?"

"I just wanted to let you know that we're heading for Kirlsa today."

Albel growled under his breath as Cliff left. _'When are we supposed to get this damn Luther thing over with! Once he's dead, I can kill them! Then everything will be as it was, and we can resume this war.'_

It was the day after the event in Aquios, they had moved to Peterney for the night, and were now preparing to move out once again. They would have to travel quickly in order to reach the border town of Airyglyph.

Albel grabbed up his katana, placing it on his hip, and followed the blonde out the door where everyone as waiting.

The day was long and rough with many fights, but they reached the mining town by sunset.

After checking in with one of Woltar's many maids, they decided to stay the night there. Woltar would not be in for a while. He was busy seeing to business in the kingdom of Airyglyph.

The next morning found them in the small training ground. Albel had just found out their purpose for being there instead of kicking Luther's ass, and was pissed at both Izumi and Maria for wasting his time.

Maria had insisted on _not_ going to the Kirlsa Training Facility to avoid scaring the girl, since the members of the Black Brigade had an issue with cleaning up their bloody victims when they were finished with them. That _really_ helped his mood.

As he watched the group from his spot against the brick wall of the large building, he was surprised to see that Izumi was indeed winning against Fayt. _Fayt Leingod. _The very boy that had defeated him. Well, that was _only_ because he had the help of Cliff and Nel, there was _no way_ that some puny little kid could _ever_ beat the ever-famous Albel The Wicked.

He raised an eyebrow as the girl blocked her opponent's blade and jumped forward, ramming into his side and forcing him to the ground. She raised her sword in front of him just enough to let him know that he had lost.

Fayt just laid there like a beaten dog, never in his life had he been defeated by a _girl!_ She removed the sword, sliding the tip into the cold, dry dirt, and waited as Fayt got to his feet. He dusted off his pants and nodded lightly, letting her know she had won fairly.

As he turned to rejoin the group by the shade of the barn, he winced slightly at the pain collecting in his side. _He'd be feeling that tomorrow._

"What was _that,"_ Cliff asked, still dazed at the sight of the '_strong headed Fayt'_ going down because of a girl.

"That," he explained as he held his side, "was Albel's twin, Izumi."

"I think we need to get those two out there together," Maria said as she looked from Izumi to Albel. "It would be pretty interesting to see who would win."

"You can try, but Albel's not going to take it easily if he loses, he might try to kill her," Nel warned in, she knew Albel better than any of them.

"Them we'll just have to make sure she knows that," Maria said as she walked out to the field where Izumi waited.

"That was impressive, Izumi," she said when she reached her. She then lowered her voice so that she was sure that Albel couldn't hear.

"Alright, Albel is next on the list. He's very strong and very fast. But remember, as strong as he seems, he relies on his sword and speed, so don't be afraid to go beyond those limits if you need to.

"He'll be easy to drag out here, but he's not one to accept defeat easily. If he gets too rough, just raise your attacks to match his. If he gets to the point were you can't beat him without severely hurting him just yell for us and we'll help to get him into place. Is that alright?" She nodded. "Ok, get ready then, he won't give an opponent lead."

"Albel," she yelled as she turned to meet his gaze. "You're up."

"Hmph. Well then, bring it on," he said to himself as he pushed himself off the wall, trudging along slowly to meet the young warrior. When he was on the field and Maria was off, he set his distance, eying the girl. _This was going to be an exiting battle. _

"Hm, so you think you're tough, eh," he said as he crouched in his fighting stance. She was silent, as usual, and did the same.

A strong, cool wind blew around the two, stirring up the dirt and adding a mysterious look to the scene. Albel squinted his eyes to avoid the whirling grains, but never broke his eye contact with the young girl in front of him.

A purple strand of hair slapped Izumi's face suddenly, causing her to look away from the man for a split second. Albel saw his chance. He charged in, sword set in place.

**To Be Continued…**

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Ok, I hope you liked it. Sorry for that quick ending, but you've got to be patient! And no, I don't like Sophia, I hate her! I don't know why, I think it has something to do with her personality, like, she's afraid of everything, and she's WAY to perky! Also, my worst enemy's name is Sophie, yuck! I'm not sure if I'm gonna put Peppita and Roger in here either, so if you guys want them in here, I need ideas. Good ideas. I'm trying my best to do Ch5, and I have good planes for the fight with Luther and after that, so, once again, please be patient. **Thanks for your support and please review. And, for those who haven't reviewed yet: It's not like you can't, you're just choosing not to. Everyone HAS to have an opinion on everything, either you liked it or you didn't. Please let me know. For those who do review: Thank you very much, it's very much appreciated!** Have a nice day… or night. 

**PS: Questions? You can always e-mail me and I'll be sure to answer. My e-mail's on my bio page so don't be shy!**


	5. Battle Between Two 'Gods'

**Title: Through Those Eyes**

**Author: **Kemiya

**Warnings:** Language, Angst, Violence

**Notes**: Arrgggg! It's sooo hard take this story from my head and put it on paper! I mean really, talk about your writer's block! It's so annoying! But hey, chapter 5 is up, so don't complain. That's my job! Well, read and review and you can read some more! That is… once chapter 6 is up! Sooo, review when you're done and I can do this! Oh and before I forget, Albel is a bit… how to say this… out of character towards the end of the chapter, but hey, you have to remember: **The game never shows Albel's loving/caring side. They only show his angry/hateful side. **Understand?

**Disclaimer:** No, they're not mine, so go away. I own Izumi, and that's all. Albel should be mine, but 50,000,000 Fol just wasn't enough. Damn termites…

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Chapter 5: Battle Between Two 'Gods' **

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**Last Chapter**

"_Hm, so you think you're tough, eh," he said as he crouched in his fighting stance. She was silent, as usual, and did the same. _

_A strong, cool wind blew around the two, stirring up the dirt and adding a mysterious look to the scene. Albel squinted his eyes to avoid the whirling grains, but never broke his eye contact with the young girl in front of him._

_A purple strand of hair slapped against Izumi's face suddenly, causing her to look away from the man for a split second. Albel saw his chance. He charged in, sword set in place. _

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Izumi immediately reacted, swinging her sword around fast. The sound of clashing steel was heard throughout the town as she blocked his attacks with great skill.

After a few minutes of hitting and dodging, she decided to try out _his _blocking skills. She evaded the blade that was aimed for her right shoulder and swung for his side. Albel caught the move just in time to jump away, barely avoiding her.

He needed to end this, _now. _

He prepared for his Shockwave Swirl, crouching low to the ground. As she charged in again, he dug his blade into the ground and scraped it in a semi-circle in front of him. A purplish spark burst from the mark in the ground, sending the girl to the cold, hard earth behind her.

Albel regained his sword and was about to make the final blow when a faint sound from behind him caught his attention. He turned to face the sound and was surprised to hear that it was a voice.

"Albel! This is _only _a practice, don't hurt her!" It was Fayt. That damn kid was interfering with _his_ battle!

He blew it off, whirling around to face the girl again. She was still there, in her fighting stance again. _Why hadn't she taken him down when she had the chance? _

He braced himself, ready for her next attack. Izumi knew he was not going to take her so easily anymore.

Not a problem. She slapped her sword harshly into his, forcing him back a small bit. But, just as he was about to swing his foot around to knock her off balance, something distracted him from carrying out the move.

He glanced down at the touching blades and was baffled when he saw a small stream of green light swirling around Izumi's blade. Suddenly, her force started to become even stronger, pushing the man back bit by bit.

He gritted his teeth, struggling against the force. _What was she doing! _His bloody eyes met hers, silently demanding and explanation. There was none, just a stern stare that told him to back down.

They stood there like that for a moment, the light had faded down and Izumi was holding back the power on the blade a bit, but Albel would _not _admit his defeat.

Not by _this _girl. He was about to flare out with his claw when the sound of yelling started. They both turned their eyes to the sounds and were met by Fayt, Cliff, and Maria.

"Alright you two, that's all we need," Maria said. Izumi rested her sword, pulling away from the man, and slid it back into its sheath.

Albel just stood there, _why was she still there and not lying on the ground covered in blood?_ As she started for the mansion, Izumi passed a simple glance, causing his own blood to boil.

"Come on Alb-"

"What the hell is wrong with you maggots!" Albel interrupted, furious at being stopped from slaying Izumi.

"We didn't put you two out there together to kill each other, we only needed to see who was stronger. We now know that you two share the same experience," she said simply, heading for the mansion too.

"Bah, you maggots sicken me," he growled while shoving his sword into its case and stomping off in the opposite direction. He'd be back when he felt the time was right: late that night.

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Albel went though the remainder of the day staring at the sea from his post on the roof of the Kirlsa Training Facility. His home. The closest thing he had to a home. He had a room at the castle in Airyglyph, but he had never even considered staying in it.

He was sitting against a giant pillar connected to the massive arena, just sort of thinking to himself. _What was that strange light? How did she suddenly get so strong? And why hadn't she finished him when she had the chance? _He _would _find out, _even if he had to force it out of her while he still had his sword lodged into her heart. _

He was broken from his wonderfully gruesome thoughts by a weak and nervous voice. "Sir Albel?"

He knew that voice; it was one of the younger members of his army, Jakkain. The boy was only about Sophia's age and had little experience with the katana. Albel had actually grown a bit fond of him, _(Not that way, pervs!) _like he was someone that he could teach and protect… like a son.

He turned his gaze to the boy, being careful to remember not to snap or glare at him. Jakkain was a very timid boy; ever since he had seen his parents mercilessly slaughtered by bandits, he had been afraid of many things. He was teased by the rest of the members of the Black Brigade because of that fear. Albel had taken him in, and spent a few of his spare days teaching him the ways of the katana.

"What is it, Jakkain," he asked lethargically, turning his view back to the sea.

"Um, there is a message for you… from Fayt." He held out a small slip of paper. Albel rolled his eyes at the thought of Fayt, spinning around and raising from his spot on the brick. Jumping down, he grabbed up the paper from the outstretched hand and motioned for the boy to leave.

'_Damn kid,' _he thought as he unfolded the note, scanning over it quickly before crumpling it up and throwing it to the ground roughly. Woltar was back in town, and he wanted to speak with him… _great_.

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Throwing open the large oak door Albel stomped inside, not even bothering to wipe the dirt off of his feet as he did so. Woltar was standing only a little ways from him, along with Fayt, obviously in conversation, or at least they were.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt anything," Albel asked with an annoyed tone.

"Not at all, Albel. Fayt, here, was just telling me about the training routine that took place earlier this morning," Woltar answered calmly. "But now that you're here, there are some things I would like to speak to you about." He turned for the large staircase leading to the second floor.

Gritting his teeth Albel followed slowly behind. He still couldn't understand why the king let the man live for so long, and what his purpose was. He was better off as a pile of old bones anyways.

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"You've always been a difficult one, Albel. Even as a child, you were always into trouble. Stealing, picking fights, trespassing on privatly owned property, I'd constantly have to punish you for these acts. Of course, when you joined the army, after your father's passing, you switched tactics completely. You gained the title you have now, and are known as a man-slayer. A true killer…"

"So tell me, old man, is there a point in this?" Albel had been leaning against the wall at the back of Woltar's office for quite some time now, letting the man ramble on about worthless things for what seemed like hours. Only now did he seem to be talking to and about Albel, and only now did Albel even bother acknowledge what he was saying, even of it _was _only a little bit. But, by doing so, he was losing it, again, and having to fight his '_will to kill'_… or at least hurt.

With a sigh, Woltar continued, "You can't do it, Albel, and you know that. You have your title set among the people of this planet, and it is not possible to change it. You can never go back to the way things were, you will always have a hunger to kill. This girl has a power beyond imagination, she has the ability to overpower Vox himself, had he not deceased. But, with you as her caretaker, _she will only die. You, Albel Nox, are a murderer."_

Albel couldn't take it anymore. Pushing himself from the wall, he slowly came up behind the man. Woltar didn't even look up from his work in front of him. He didn't need to, Albel couldn't do anything to him. Because he was a friend of Glou Nox. Such a small reason, yes, but even that was enough.

Instead of simply slicing Woltar with his claws and being through with the whole problem immediately, Albel just stood there silently, _just stood there_, before trudging out of the room quickly. The only noise that came for the soldier was the glass shattering slam of the door as he exited. He didn't even hear as Woltar muttered 'Foolish boy. If you can not defeat me, then you completely useless amongst the others in your group.'

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Moving through the halls of the building at a quick pace, Albel turned in the direction of the room he was to stay in for the night. He couldn't stand it; it was like that man had complete control over his actions. Even when both his mind and his heart screamed at him to slay Woltar, he couldn't do it. Woltar had been there when his father had been alive, Woltar had been there when his father had passed, Woltar had always been there… even when Albel didn't want him there. It was Woltar that had helped Albel gain his place as the captain of the Black Brigade, he who had given him the wisest of advice when in the worst of situations… he who had done this only by leading Albel with cruel, hateful _putdowns. _Telling him that he wasn't strong enough, so that he would train harder, convincing him that Vox was just too strong for him, so that he would fight him, and even pointing out innocent people and giving Albel reasons for killing them, just so that he would do it. In truth, a small portion of Albel's name deserved to be placed on Woltar. But never once had the man led on a putdown that powerful. Never once had he been claimed a murderer. _And never once had Albel thought that it could be so painful. _

Nearing Izumi's room, which was located next to his own, he stopped. The door was slightly ajar, leaving just enough room to see the young girl, back pressed into the wall, sitting on the bed, katana and sharp-stone in hand. Albel watched as she slowly ran the stone across the sharp end or the blade, creating a soft grinding sound. Albel knew this sound better than he knew his own voice, having worked with the katana all his life, but something different was mixed in with the soft scrapes. Albel drifted closer to the door and peered through the crack, trying to decipher the location of the, strange sound.

Suddenly, his eyes locked on it; a small box-shaped object was laying next to Izumi, blue in color, and was producing a low but rough humming noise. From this noise, Albel could very faintly make out what sounded like voices. Focusing in on the strange object, Albel was suddenly jolted back to attention when the sound of scraping completely stopped. Albel looked up quickly connecting his gaze with Izumi, locked within those silver eyes once again. He had been _caught_. Turning away from the door suddenly he continued on to his room, muttering to himself about 'worthless maggots,' and 'how they're better off dead.'

**To Be Continued…**

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Author's Notes:** Alright, sorry for the wait, I was extremely caught in writers block this past week. But! At 12:54 through 1:49 last night (December 23rd, mind you) it came to me! I was also hoping for a few more reviews… seeing how OVER 380 PEOPLE HAVE READ THE DAMN STORY! pleads Why? Why must you make my job so difficult? I am doing this for you… Oh, and I NEED ideas! Please, help me brainstorm! Thanks to those of you who are so generous as to share your thoughts and opinions with me. 

P.S. Sorry, Bijoux, Albel couldn't win…

P.S.S In case you didn't know what the 'strange object' was… it was a stereo… I suck at describing that shit…


	6. Silently Shouted

**Title: Through Those Eyes**

**Author: **Kemiya

**Warnings: **Language, Violence

**Author's Notes: **Alright, I have no idea of what I am doing right now! I have a very serious case of Writer's Block, I mean, this can kill, people. But, I have to update for you all… 'cause I'm sooo nice! . I know, I'm lying, but bare with me, mkay? So, thanks for the reviews, I'm not going to beg for more, 'cause, quite frankly, I'm not in the mood, and it's too late for it, so, I'll wait till the end of the chapter! Oh, and did I make Woltar evil, or what?

**Disclaimer: **Nope, not mine, so back off. I own Izumi, and this plot… so that's got to count for something, right? Right!

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**Chapter 6: **Silently Shouted

He tossed, he turned, he fell off the bed. Over and over again. There was really only one explanation for it. _He couldn't sleep. _Not that Albel Nox was very fond of it, but he _did _require some sleep after awhile. And that included now. Albel was tired, he was sore, he needed to relax and take his mind off of the current matters and events.

But he couldn't, his body wouldn't let him. Visions of the girl kept clouding his mind, that soft green glow that had been emitted from her hands, and when Woltar jumped into the scene, repeating the word 'murderer' again and again, he _really _thought he was going mad.

Finally, Albel climbed from the bed, running a hand though his hair quickly, and, having thought of a possible solution, headed out the door to the kitchen for a glass of water.

While filling his glass with the crystal clear liquid, Albel recounted through the earlier chain of events that had been that day, and stopped immediately at the end of the training session, cursing at himself for letting Izumi into his thoughts again. But it still bothered him, like an unbearable itch on the back of his neck that he could not scratch. She was so young, but so strong, and so quiet it was mysterious.

Albel was so deep in thought that he barely felt the trickle of cold water on his hand as his glass overflowed, spilling onto the hard tile floor. Nor did he hear the silent steady beating of footsteps as someone padded down the hall towards the kitchen, stopping in the doorway as they spotted him.

"What are you doing up," came a tired voice, barely above a whisper. Albel instantly forgot everything that had gone through his mind within the last three minutes, biting his tongue and yanking his cup from the flowing water, splattering even more across the ground. Cursing under his breath for allowing himself to be caught while so off-guard, let alone clumsy, he turned to meet Fayt's tired gaze with an exhausted look of his own.

"Well, I would like to think that it's for the same reason that you're up," he stated dryly, pulling out a chair and seating himself at the large table.

"You can't sleep either, huh?" Fayt more stated rather than asked, grabbing his own glass and filling it with water. Seating himself next to Albel, he took a long drink, before setting his cup down to look at the man, who had yet to answer.

Elbow propped up on the table, head in hand, Albel was staring at the glass in front of him, looking deeply into the depths of the liquid, as if being hypnotized. Fayt was utterly baffled. Never once since he had first met this man had he _ever _seen him unguarded and unprepared.

"Uh, Albel, are you sure you're okay?" For a brief moment Fayt saw Albel's eyes flicker back into life, before they faded back into their original pale crimson. Looking up at the boy quickly, Albel threw him and irritated glare.

"What!"

"Well, I wasn't expecting… I mean, I didn't think _you _could daydream," Fayt explained, pushing the 'you,' to add a sarcastic tone.

"Oh yeah, very funny, maggot," Albel said, rolling his eyes and staring off to the side a bit. "I was just thinking," he mumbled softly.

"About Izumi, huh," Fayt answer, taking another sip of his water and trying to catch the other man's gaze, though he was refusing to look up. When he didn't reply again he continued, trying to sound relaxed, "she's been on my mind, too. There's just too many things she's left unanswered, you know? Like, where she learned her skills, how old she is, why she hasn't spoken, where exactly…"

Albel was too tired for this right now. The sound of the boy's voice, of _anybody's _voice, at a time when he was so stressed and worked up, like he was at the moment, drove him to the point of madness.

Glaring at the boy with cold eyes he broke the boy in mid-sentence. "Alright, boy, if you have so many damned questions, then why don't you ask her, not me? What good does it do you by telling me all this? What, do you think I'm just gonna go up there and ask her for you? Just because I have to watch the little maggot, doesn't mean I'm gonna deliver messages for all you scum." Raising from his seat, he continued glaring at Fayt, towering over him. "Go ask her yourself, stop wasting my time."

And with that, he left, cup in hand, leaving Fayt to sit by his lone self.

* * *

"It's time to finish our game. _Maggots _have very short life-spans, you know."

Izumi didn't move from her spot on the small town street. Even the smallest of budges would result in the blade's shape edge slicing into her neck. She had been well aware of Albel's presence for the last twenty minutes, he had been watching her closely from the dark shadows of the buildings.

Izumi instantly regretted wandering into the small settlement at such an early hour of the day, but she had deeply needed the fresh air. Still, she should have waited until there were other people out as well…

Now Albel was behind her, blade set on her right shoulder, pressing into her neck gently and threatening to slice the sensitive skin. She should have known that Albel would not settle for a tie.

And the worst part was, _she hadn't brought her katana… _

She hadn't known that she would need it at this time of day. She hadn't expected to encounter Albel until later on. As she felt the blade being removed from its spot, she turned to face Albel directly, glaring into those bloody orbs.

"Oh, come now. Do you really think I would just break my toys without playing with them first? Heh, don't be so naive, girl. It's too bad that you are without your sword though… but why don't you show us that pretty green light again?"

The sarcasm in his voice made Izumi tense. Whether it be anger, fear, or just her adrenaline kicking in, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't too fond of the feeling. Thinking things through quickly, she stepped back from the man, crouching into a fighting stance, which signaled to Albel that she was ready.

Smirking to himself, he decided to take his time. This was going to be a swift and easy victory, so he wanted to enjoy it. Glancing over at the sword gripped in his hand, he suddenly sprinted, speeding towards Izumi and slashing it at her, only to be evaded.

Izumi dodged to the side, ducking down quickly as the blade came at her again from overhead. But, by doing this, Albel was releasing his guard on his legs. _Bad move. _Izumi threw her hands on the ground, swinging around rapidly and knocking Albel's legs from under him with her own.

As soon as he hit the ground she scrambled to her feet, running a safe distance before stopping to check if Albel was ok. He was picking himself up already, blade stuck in the dirt for support. Izumi let out a small sigh of relief, glad that he had not been injured in the fall. her actions had been very dangerous, she knew, for had Albel fallen on his blade, he would not be getting back up. As she turned to leave, sure that the battle was over, she stopped suddenly, stalk still.

"You… _wench_." He wasn't finished. He would never be. Izumi was now sure of it. She turned just as he charged, gasping in shock as she felt the slicing of the blade as it sliced her side. She flinched as she instinctively brought her hand over the fresh wound, leaving it covered with oozing red substance.

Glaring at the swordsman, she hissed through her teeth silently, narrowing her eyes at the searing pain that was draining her of her energy rapidly… along with her hope.

Albel faced her again, swiping a bit of the blood off of the katana. "Oh, is this yours," he asked, rubbing his fingers together and smearing her blood across them. Then bringing his hand up to his mouth, he ran his tongue over the fingers, wiping them clean of the sticky mess and smirking widely.

"Such an exotic taste, your blood has. Sweet, yet, with a _bitter _edge." Chuckling slightly, he set the katana back into place, preparing for his last hit.

Izumi's eyes widened in what she now knew was fear. She wasn't sure if she could dodge him in her current position. She thought franticly for a counter-attack, running her options quickly through her mind. Her options were few, as Albel once more ran at her, this time at a swifter pace.

At a random and desperate choice, Izumi threw her arms in front of her, summoning all of her remaining inner strength on Albel's blurring figure. She grit her teeth as the heat from the energy she was creating burned her fingertips, creating a friction in the air. Sparks illuminated from her outcast hands, dancing in front of her.

Albel, still in mid-charge, was bewildered as Izumi's actions became apparent to him: _she was using Symbology! _He was quick to break into a faster speed, knowing that with the knowledge of Symbology, also came the weakness of a slow spell.

Closing in on her, Albel winced as the heat of her spell rapidly increased. He was once more stunned when the energy hit it's peak, shooting a blast of blue lighting through his body, stopping him cold. His eyes clamped shut as the pain overtook him, washing through his limbs in tearing waves.

His sword dropping to the ground with an ear-shattering clatter, he grasped his good arm harshly in his gauntlet digging the claws deeply into the already bloody flesh, trying franticly to cease his immense pain.

Crying out as the waves increased in numbers, Albel fell to his knees, letting the blood around him sink into the purple cloth of his sarong. Looking up in complete and utter hate at the causer of his current misery, he saw the girl, a look of horror and shock written clearly on her face.

"You… maggot…." was all he could mutter out as his body gave way and he fell to the cold and bloody ground, Izumi's fleeing figure fading away as he lost all consciousness.

* * *

_Run! _

It was the only thought that Izumi's mind could say as she saw Albel's bloody form collapse into the dirt. The mixture of feelings reeling through her was overwhelming to a point of madness. The image of his evil smirk and bloody katana still haunted her mind, causing an unwavering chill to course through her body.

While, on the other hand, she was also afraid _for _Albel. The strength of her spell had been immensely high, severely injuring his arm and side. She was worried he that he wouldn't live, but also afraid that, if he did, he would seek even _more _revenge then he had first wanted. The pain in her side was fading slowly, but refused to cease completely. Her hands now gave a faint burn from the energy of her spell, preventing her from gripping her side.

All of these feelings amounted up to nothing. Only the thought of fleeing pushed her on: she ran. Where she ran, she didn't know, and she didn't care. It was just the need to be away from Albel's limp and bloody form that she needed.

The sun was up and rising, lighting her way through the isles of houses and buildings. A few people scattered the roads, stopping in their tracks to stare at the strange, blood covered girl as she fled, heading for the sea… _and straight into the 'bee's hive'. _

_To be continued…

* * *

_

Well? How was it? Yes this chapter did take a while… but I was so stuck on how to get this on 'paper' that it held me back for a while. Sorry. But, hey, no one is complaining on the wait, so why worry? I can take as long as I like! 'cause no one is saying '_hurry up!_' Kewl! So, I got some of the next chapter planned, so I think I'll work on that for a while. But please review, I'm really needing the support at the moment… thanks. Oh, and one other thing. Another reason for the wait was that my mom just found out about my cutting issue… and she took the computer away… as if _that _will stop me! .


	7. Love Your Enemies

**Title: Through Those Eyes**

**Author: **Kemiya

**Warnings: **Language, Violence,

**Author's Notes: **Wow, I got some pretty kewl reviews that time! Thanks guys! And I can't believe I'm starting on this next chapter so soon… I guess these pills really are getting to me, neh? Well, onto the story! (((Reviews and Flames Accepted)))

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Star Ocean, or any of these main characters, except, that is, Izumi and her pet: Story Plot. Unless you wanna pay for the pet food, back away… they're not for sale. Sorry.

* * *

**Chapter 7:** Love Your Enemies

"Fayt! Please, come quick, Fayt!"

Fayt buried himself deeper within his blankets as the high-pitched squeals slowly woke him from his dream space. Trying his hardest to dismiss the desperate pleas for something simple like _'Sophia found a dead bug'_, or, _'Sophia couldn't find her hairbrush'_, Fayt focused only on his warm and fuzzy blankets.

"_Fayt!"_

He heard it again, this time in his doorway, this time much more desperate.

"What do you want, Sophia," he said through ruffled pillows.

"Mirage and I, we went for a walk and- and-" her voice was strangled through her tears, "Albel's hurt!"

Fayt was up and out of those warm and fuzzy blankets before she had even finished.

* * *

"Hey, Cliff, we gotta go! Albel was attacked!"

Cliff, who had been busily musing in front of the mirror, now looked up at the doorway, mouth open, hair-gel on the floor. "Wha? How in the hell could _Albel _be down?" And he was gone, following the blue haired boy and brunette girl through the door and out into the now crowded streets.

"Oh come on, you make it sound as though Albel were invincible," Fayt huffed as he chased after Sophia.

"Well, I mean you've seen the guy, Fayt. You know more than I how big and bad he thinks he is," Cliff said, keeping Fayt's pace.

"Everybody has their limits, Cliff, even Albel. He might have had a problem with his gauntlet or something. You just never know. And besides, Albel is not at all as bad as you might think, people just judge him too quickly."

"Yeah, well I still think he has a bit too much pride for that blade he carries." They had just turned a corner, and could see Mirage in the distance. She was leaning over a figure on the ground. Sophia had just reached her. "What I'm trying to say is, he probably isn't that bad off. He more than likely just tried to fight off a high number of Executioners, and got his butt kicked. And damn-it, he's gonna be a pain for the next week…" his voice trailed off as they reached the others.

Both boys were shocked to see Albel's body, bloody and bruised, stretched out in the cold hard dirt road. "Holy shit…" Cliff breathed.

"Fayt, we have to get him back to Woltar's house," Sophia pleaded, tugging on Fayt's arm. There was a faint line of black running down her cheek, the eyeliner mixed in with a salty tear.

"Sophia is right, Fayt," Mirage turned from Albel to the other boy, a stern look in her eyes. "I don't have my medical bag with me at the moment, I left it back at the mansion. Also if we leave him here in this environment, he is more than likely to gain an infection with these open wounds."

Mirage had torn off some bits of her blouse to wrap Albel's wounds as best as she could, but her attempts had quickly proved otherwise useless as the strips were soon soaked in the steadily flowing blood.

"Me and Cliff can help to carry him back, if it will help any," Fayt said, glancing at a reluctant Cliff.

"That's what I like to hear," she replied, rising from the body and wiping her blood covered hands on her clothes.

* * *

From her perch, way up high on a large rock, Izumi breathed in the cool ocean, the salty gusts of wind mixing with silky lavender hair. She was afraid of returning to the mansion, and utterly terrified of facing the others.

She knew where she had hit Albel, she knew that with his strong spirit he would live… as long as someone found him in time before he bled to death. Her own wound was taking up a lot of blood as well, resulting to her feeling a bit wary and nauseated.

Rising from her spot on the stone, she made her way down to the rocky shore of the sea, moving very slowly and clumsily. Wading out knee-high into the cool water, Izumi washed the blood from her arms and hands. She winced as the salty water washed over the gash in her side, sending long stinging shocks through her body.

After she had washed off the majority of blood from her skin, Izumi turned to the shoreline once again, stumbling up the rocky 'beach'.

She avoided the large brick fortress that was stationed not too far from the gate leading back into the town where she had entered from. She knew, from not but an hour ago, that this was Albel's turf. As she shook the water from her skin, she recalled on the previous event.

_She had just entered through the open gate, and was gazing into the crystal waters, too deep in thought to notice the two soldiers that had stopped on their patrolling to stare. _

"_What be your name, and what business do you have with Lord Albel's army," one of the two men had asked gruffly, snapping her out of her thoughts. _

_She looked over to the two men, tormented yet again by the name of the man who had attacked her. It was at that exact time that her body had decided to give in on her, and the two men, caught in her gaze, began to disappear. _

_Slowly at first, clouding over with a thin black film, which steadily increased, until, finally, when the man repeated the question, she was completely unaware of what they were saying. Her body met the ground, hard, but she didn't notice, she was out cold. _

_At least, that's what it looked like from the outside, but on the inside, she was in Hell. Held in place, she could feel herself being pushed rapidly down a dark never-ending tunnel, over large hills, as well as under. Lights flashed around her as she silently pleaded for the terror to end, wandering how in the hell she had gotten here. _

_But the ride increased, faster and faster, until she thought she would die. And then it stopped. A sudden and quick halt brought her back to her place on the ground. _

_At first, fighting for her eyesight to return, she was completely unsure of her surroundings, and what had happened. As her vision cleared, she slowly regained her memory and tried to stand upright, only to fail and fall back into the hard earth. It took her about another ten minutes to regain all of her senses and get to a safe spot on a ledge. The two men that had been there were gone, and never did come back. But that was all for the better to Izumi. _

Shaking the past out of her head, Izumi, still wet, headed for the gate again. _That was the first faint she had had in over seventeen years. _But now was not the time to think about that, now was the time to get back, before it happened again.

* * *

Padding slowly up the pathway to the mansion, clothes soaked in water and blood, body beaten and torn, and head throbbing, Izumi pushed open the huge oak double doors with what little strength she managed to hold in her.

Wanting absolutely no attention from the others, she had meant to slowly slip upstairs to her room and rest, but found it rather difficult when the first thing she saw was the faces of Fayt, Mirage, Cliff, and Maria.

"What in the blazes happened to you," was the first thing she heard, coming from Cliff.

"Please don't tell me this involved the incident with Albel," was the second, this time from Mirage, who was over with her medical bag in an instant.

Well, at least now she knew that he was alive. _Great… _

Izumi didn't bother to reply, she didn't have to, because right about then her body gave way again, and she saw Hell, again.

She awoke in her bed, light dimmed, blankets tossed over her snuggly, ice-pack on her forehead. When her vision had cleared, she could make out the shape of a person, sitting at the foot of the bed, watching her.

"You're awake." It was Fayt. "How are you feeling? You fainted, back in the other room. Mirage took care of your wounds and bandaged them up." Sure enough, Izumi could feel the tight wraps, snug around her waist. She was wearing new clothing, too. This kind clean, and warm.

Fayt started again, speaking in a slow, soft tone, "Did those wounds have any involvement with Albel?" She faintly nodded, looking away from him and staring at the wall. "Oh, I see. We found him earlier, he was laying in the street. He's hurt real bad, but he's going to be ok. Mirage says _he's not gonna be able to fight anymore_ though, because his arm was completely wrecked. It looks a bit like it was burned, along with his side, and he was muttering something about Symbology in his sleep."

Fayt seemed like he was having a hard time getting to the point. "Izumi." She reluctantly looked at the boy, afraid of his next words. "Izumi, was that you? _Did you perform Symbology on Albel?_"Izumi couldn't take the guilt, it was building up too high, and she couldn't block it much longer. "I mean, I understand your reasons, and I'm sure it was simply self-defense. I saw that you didn't have your sword with you. But… _how did you learn Symbology? _

"I, myself, learned the basics to it on Hyda, another planet far from Earth, but how did _you _learn it? You've only been here for a few days, and they don't have Symbology on Earth, it's way too advanced. And it takes a long time to learn. I had to learn the spells themselves here on Elicoor, while I had the time, and it took a long while, at that. But… _you?_"His voice trailed off a bit as he ran out of breath. This was very unexpected to him.

Seeing that the girl was not going to respond, let alone even look at him, he gave up on his efforts. "Well, you get some rest, Mirage will be in soon to change your bandages." And he left.

* * *

That night, as everyone had gone into resting, and darkness filled the over-sized house, Izumi rose, slipping from the bed and out the door quietly. She walked steadily through the hallways, her time of sleeping having gave her back a lot of energy, until she found the right door, gripping the knob slightly. The feeling of slight fear now filled her once again.

Fighting the urge to run, she pushed open the door quietly, stepping inside and closing it shut once more. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she looked over to the ruffled bed, where its occupant lay.

Izumi couldn't see Albel's face, but she knew by the slow and steady breathing, along with the rise and fall of the covers strewn around and on him, that he was sleeping soundly. Swallowing down the lump that had gotten caught in her throat, she padded her way silently to the bedside, peering down at the sleeping man.

His blankets were down a bit, exposing the wraps around his left arm and side. Izumi sighed inwardly, the guilt rising once again. She quickly gathered her thoughts once more, deciding to get what she wanted to do done with, and get out of there quick.

Placing one hand on the other and putting both hands just above Albel's damaged arm, she closed her eyes tightly, focusing all of her energy on her desired spell. Slowly, she felt her hands warm, then the warmth turn into heat, as the spell grew.

Her head throbbed now, and she felt as her energy left her through her palms, sinking into Albel, surrounding his wounds. As the spell ended, she relaxed, grabbing onto the headboard of the bed to keep from falling over from her zapped strength.

She looked back at the sleeping man, his wounds now vanished from his body, as if he had never been hurt in the first place. Nodding her head, satisfied, she turned to leave. But, just as she gained her footage, she felt herself almost fall again, as a strong hand gripped her wrist tightly. Gaining her footing, yet again, she quickly turned to see what had caused the fall, only to feel her blood run cold as she stared into blood-red eyes.

"_Who the hell are you_," was Albel's first remark. "You're no person, you're not even normal. That wasn't Symbology, that was something else." He still had her wrist locked in his hand. Izumi couldn't breathe.

"_You didn't even call out the spell name_- what the _hell _did you do to me?" His anger was rising rapidly, she had to get out of there. "And then, after you throw lightning at me, you try to _heal _me? Do you _want _to die?" He was sounding hysterical now, is voice growing louder and louder.

Izumi pulled away, jerking free of his grip and turning quickly for the door. She forgot that she had to take it slow, due to her recent spell, and tripped over herself. Falling to the floor, she could feel herself beginning to panic as the man continued to mock her, laughing at her as she attempted to flee.

Scrambling back up, she all but threw herself at the door, swinging it open quickly and slamming it shut as soon as she was safe on the other side. Scampering down the hall back to her own room, she locked herself inside, petrified for the rest of the night.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

Ha ha! I win! I am so tired! It's 2:12 A.M. and I'm out! Ow! My back! Well, I hope you liked this chapter, it was actually pretty fun to write, and fast too. No, Izumi is NOT a chicken, but Albel got scary. And about the fainting thing… see, the other day I was at the doctor's, and I hadn't eaten all day, and they wanted to take my blood, so I kinda sorta fainted while they were taking the needle out of me… oops. Well, it was weird, 'cause that hasn't happened since I was 4, and I wanted to put that in here, 'cause I can still remember what I saw while I was out. And I wanted to write it out, and I think it came out nicely. So, thank you sooo much to those few people who reviewed for my last chapter, you helped me a **lot**, and that's mainly why this chapter is being posted sooo early. _you inspired me! _lol, so, please inspire me some more, and review with flames or flowers. Thx, love ya all…. Byeness!


	8. I dont remember

**Title: Through Those Eyes **

**Author: **Kemiya

**Warnings: **Tad bit of language, that's about it. This chapter is action free. Bite me.

**Author's Notes: **Ok, so I know it's been forever since I last updated, sorry, just slipped my mind a little...but I'm trying! This chapter is kinda slow, I know, but yea, it's a chapter…and you always have a slow chapter or two in every book, reading it just shows you want to read more of the story, so yea…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these characters - BUT! I do claim Izumi as my own "creation."

* * *

**Chapter 8:** I don't remember…

Dim, with pale, cloud-like rays seeping through silken lavender drapes. This is what woke Fayt. Slowly, lethargically, he worked his way out of the twisted blankets that had somehow managed to coil in with the sheets. Setting his feet on the cool wooden floor and rubbing his temples tenderly, Fayt took in a deep breath and ran a hand through his nappy morning-hair. Slipping on his fuzzy blue slippers he was out the door, trudging down the hallway to Albel's door.

Not sure of whether to knock or just walk in, he clicked open the door as quietly as he was able, taking a second to let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. Albel always kept his windows covered. Fayt entered, grabbing at the little white box on the dresser by the door and taking another second to glance at the bold red plus-sign printed solidly on the box's face.

Signing to himself, he looked over to the bed, where Albel was. Or was supposed to be. Fayt groaned in annoyance. Turning quickly, he stomped out of the dark and empty room, almost as if he was sulking.

"Cliff." Cliff's ear twitched at the strange intrudent sound peeking its way through to his happy dream. "Cliff, get up!" He rolled over to face away from the sound; this was his way of escape. "Cliff, it's Albel." The dream ended. Cliff's eyes flew open at the name and from his spot in the tangled heap of covers, his fists clenched tight, turning white at the knuckles.

"Albel, eh," he chuckled, obviously annoyed. "And what, may I ask, do you want from me, moron? Don't you try hard enough to piss me off? Maybe we should try and settle this now, what's the point in always backing down, hmm?"

Fayt was dumbfounded. Did Cliff actually think he was Albel? Cliff wasn't moving, so maybe he was still sleeping? Fayt took a step closer. "No, Cliff, it's me, Fayt. I need your help to find Albel. Albel is not here."

"Oh," Cliff sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked around blankly for a moment. "Oh, well hey Fayt," he yawned out. "Albel's missing? Again?"

"Yea, I need your help to find him this time," Fayt replied, waving the first-aid box in the air.

"Eh, I'll think about it.."

"Cliff," Fayt almost yelled. He was getting tired of this carelessness going around. Friend or foe, one of their members was hurt, and he would do all he could to help.

"Dammit, Fayt, just leave him alone, he's a free roamer. So let him roam. And let me sleep!"

Fayt left right then. That was always one thing about Cliff that he hated: he was selfish.

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Tiptoeing hastily down the stairway leading into the luxuriously spacious living room, Fayt turned a sharp corner into the storage room. _Maybe Albel would be rummaging through the weaponry? _Nothing. Fayt sighed quietly, rolling his eyes in tired disappointment. Backtracking into the living room he moved on to the dinning quarters, remembering how hungry he was now, and hoping to find Albel sitting at the large oaken table, and not the leftovers from last night's gorgeous meal.

The dinning room was deserted as well, as was every other area of the mansion, just as Fayt had figured. A sudden rage filled him then as he thought of Albel's constant complaints, will to fight, and unbeatable stubbornness. Slamming his fist down sharply on the table she shouted angrily, though to himself, "why can't he just follow a few simple directions? Is it so difficult? Does it damage his pride and ego _that much?"_

"_Must _you shout so loudly?"

Fayt almost squeaked in the shock Albel's voice gave him. Looking over his shoulder, Fayt caught sight of him sitting contently on the countertop. "Albel, what are you doing in here? I looked all over," Fayt turned to him now, crossing his arms to show his grief. He looked more like a worry stricken mother more than anything. _He pretty much was. _

"You, for one, should start learning to open your eyes more. And stop yelling, it's already starting to piss me off."

"Well I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be in here, _and get those knives out of your hands_!" Fayt had finally noticed the two, rather large, kitchen knives plastered in Albel's fingers, blades shining in the soft morning sun as it seeped through a nearby window.

Throwing his arms out at full length, Albel released his grip on the utensils, letting them clatter noisily to the floor. He gave off a look of both shock and bewilderment, finished with a coy grin, like a boy caught by mom with a cookie in his hand. He folded his arms across his bare, tone, but wrap ridden chest slowly, as if to mock Fayt's posture. The dark returned to his eyes.

Fayt rolled his eyes, pushing back to the main subject, "why are you here and not resting, like I asked you to do?"

"Resting… for _what_, may I question?"

Fayt was puzzled by this. "Your wounds…" he said slowly, hoping that Albel would catch on. He _did _have a bit of a stupid side though he hated to show it, and Fayt knew this. He just thought this was on of those times.

"I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else?" Albel scratched his head as if struck with a sudden confusing and frustration.

"No, no I'm pretty sure it's you, Albel, now let me see them," Fayt moved towards him, as to help his removal of the wraps. Albel whisked them off in seconds, beating Fayt's arrival by his side. Fayt was shocked, for the second time this morning. Flawless. Absolutely flawless. He could feel the breathe leaving his lungs as he stared in bewilderment at the man, switching focus between arm and side.

"Albel… what did you do," was all he could manage. How could such horrible gashes disappear overnight?

"Well, to be honest, which I _hate _doing by the way, nothing," Albel shrugged, looking away in disapproval as Fayt started to poke at his side. Still, Fayt noticed the confusion held in Albel's eyes as well.

"You really don't know, do you," Fayt asked, stopping his poking and looking at the man, demanding his attention.

"No…" Albel trailed off, gazing dully out the window. _'How am I supposed to tell him about that,' _he thought to himself, _'I can't even comprehend it myself…'_

"Was it her," Fayt asked. Albel looked down at Fayt with questioning eyes. "Did Izumi do something?"

"How did you know," he replied dully, as if suddenly empty inside, returning to his gazing out the window.

"How else is it possible, Albel? She caused the wounds through some sort of Symbology or Runology, right? Well, don't both of those also have a healing effect too?" He was pacing now, walking back and forth in front of Albel, deep in his thoughts and moving his hands in motion with his words, as though trying to form a picture in the air with them.

"The size of those wounds, and the severity could and _should _have left you dead, Albel. There's no way that any of our group members could have healed that. Unless, possibly, she did it. Now, I don't know what happened last night, but I think you do. _Why won't you tell me, Albel?_" He stopped again, staring down the man before him, proud that his point had finally gotten his attention.

Albel still didn't know how to come back at this. After several moments of nothing, he hesitated, but made the attempt. "I don't… I don't really remember."

"Are you _sure_, Albel," Fayt pushed.

"Look, it was really late, and I was really tired. In fact," he pushed himself off the countertop, "I'm really tired right now. Can't even remember my name. Think I'm gonna go get some sleep now. Don't bother knocking, the door will be locked." And he was gone, climbing up the stairs in a fast and unsteady movement, leaving behind several heavy _'thuds_!'.

"Damn… I was so close," Fayt whispered, letting out yet another sigh that morning. He bent down to pick up the knives that had been dropped in the earlier events, and threw them in the sink, wincing at the loud sound of steel hitting steel.

Exhausted from his constant useless attempts, and trudged over to the large oak table and plopped down in a large chair and rested his head in the palms of his hands. He felt so much like these constant, unexplainable events were pushing him so far from his sanity. He wasn't even sure if he would have enough of it when it came time to fight Luther.

"Fayt," a small soft voice called. "Are you sick, Fayt?"

Fayt turned his eyes to Sophia, who was standing in the stairway. She had a soft smile on her face, but it only showed concern.

"Nah, Sophia, I'm fine. Come sit down, I promise not to puke on you," he managed a small grin at the thought of that one. Sophia just shuttered.

Pulling out a chair next to him, she sat down, tugging her fuzzy light blue robe closer to her skin to keep out the cool air. "So," she started, "if you're not sick, what's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping, Fayt?"

"Well, I guess I could ask you the very same question, now couldn't I?"

Sophia giggled, she loved his sarcasm. Sometimes.

"I've always gotten up at this time, it's my nature, I guess you could say. I just got up a little earlier because I heard a door slam…" She got up and started for the cupboard.

"That was Albel, I was trying to talk to him and he stormed off again."

"Albel?" She stopped and looked back at Fayt in confusion, still on her toes reaching for the cup that was too high for her. "I thought he was sick?"

"Not sick, hurt. He got in that fight with Izumi, remember?"

She was headed for the refrigerator now, two glass cups in hand. "Yeah, I remember. So why was he out of bed, gosh, that must have hurt," she pulled out a jar of milk and set all three items on the table.

Fayt watched as the white liquid streamed down gently into the cups, unaware of how obvious he was making it that he was letting himself slip away into another world. Within ten seconds, a million things must have run through his head, all so far apart, but every last one of them asking the very same thing.

"Fayt," her voice broke in. He looked up at her quickly, knowing that she didn't like this idea of 'spacing out' that everyone, besides her that is, seemed to do so frequently.

"Yeah, I'm listening, what did you say?"

"I was asking you, why was Albel out of bed." Sophia had both glasses filled to the brim, cork back in its milk jar, and turned to replace it in the refrigerator. She pushed one glass carefully over to Fayt and sat down, sipping away gleefully at the milk.

"Um," Fayt stared down into his glass, pondering what to say next, "I don't really know, actually…" He pushed the cup away and set his elbows on the table, in such a manner that he was wordlessly demanding Sophia's direct attention. She caught on and looked up into his eyes.

"Wh-what is it, Fayt?"

"Did you… hear any sort of commotion last night? Anything at all?"

"No, I slept pretty hard, I'm sure I didn't even wake until just a few minutes ago, why's that?"

"No door slams, no yelling…?"

"Nu-uh."

"Did you have that feeling you get when someone performs a spell?"

"Fayt, come on now, what's bugging you," Sophia didn't even want to bother answering 'No' to that one.

"Albel's injuries are gone."

Sophia's eyes tripled in size. She was in mid-swallow when she heard these words, and Fayt could have sworn he almost saw milk trickle from her nose. "Gone," she almost yelped, "How can they be _gone_, they were horrible! There was so much blood - and Mirage said that his arm was useless in swordplay! Fayt, is that really even possible?"

"Shhh, Sophia! There are other people trying to sleep here. Yes, they're gone, healed completely, no marks, no scars. I went to his room earlier to re-bandage him, and he wasn't there, so I came downstairs and he was there," he pointed at the countertop behind him, "playing with a couple knives. I asked him, and he said that he thought Izumi did it, but he couldn't really remember it, either that or he didn't want to tell me." He paused for a moment, then concluded, "He didn't want to tell me."

"But how.. I mean, do you want me to talk to her?"

"I don't know, really. I don't think she would say anything either. She could prove to be more stubborn than Albel himself. She can out-fight him, why not out-bitch him?" Funny way of putting it, he thought, but a little too harsh.

"Fayt, don't say that, we barely know her.."

"I know, I know, but it's not like we haven't tried to get to know her, she just won't let us. I mean, what's the big secret, anyways?"

"I'll talk to her. When everyone gets up, let them know what happened, but make sure they don't question her about it. I think she's just shy. A little nervous, probably." She placed her empty glass in the sink gently, and climbed back up the stairs.

Fayt sighed inwardly, _again_. Sophia was a bit blonde in some situations, but he had to admit, she was pretty good at guessing and handling sensitive situations. The wisest thing he could do was to just let her handle it.

'_Well we know what Maria would do in this situation._' Fayt pictured the woman kicking Izumi's door down and demanding that the girl throw her hands in the air and get down on the ground. It only made him laugh.

**To Be Continued…

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**

Alright! I know, it took me over 11 months to update! I have no excuse! Well…sorta…kinda slipped my mind a bit. BUT! My encouragement and reminder? A review! That's right folks, after 11 months, I got a review! Thank you EverD!

Ok, so this chapter was a little slow, not much scene changing, no violence, no Izumi, Mirage, Maria, Roger, or Peppita…no Nel, or Adray… so.. KISS MY WHITE ASS! Ok, you don't have to do that… sorry… SO! I have proof now that a review is what I need! Give 'em to me!! Please!!! I'll be good… just tell me what you want…OH! And one other thing! I need this from you guys, if you want me to continue on with this quickly: should I show the part when Sophia goes to talk to Izumi? No big deal with or without, I know, but if you want it, tell me, if not, tell me. If you just don't care, don't read the fic. Please… help… me..


	9. Two Sided Questions

**Title: Through Those Eyes **

**Author: **Kemiya

**Warnings: **Language

**Author's Notes: **I hope you guys like this one, I know it's been a while and I guess I have no excuse but I started playing the game again and I got to thinking about my fic. I really wanna keep at this at a regular pace.. I enjoy writing and creating this when I have something to write about and create. I guess some ppl are mad at me now, seeing as I only got one review last chapter, but I don't blame you guys. Thanks to my one reviewer though, you're kewl. Lol.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters in the game, so do I always have to write this? Izumi is mine. Yay me..

* * *

**Chapter 9: **Two Sided Questions

The Sun had rose, and so had its people. The streets were crowded as the women rushed to the different stores and the children ran the streets, one chasing after another. Even the mansion seemed alive, with everyone busy moving about its halls and rooms.

Fayt and Cliff could be heard in the living room, exchanging words about the unknown event of the previous night. You would have had to look in on them to see that Maria was quietly listening to the news as she tried to comprehend what exactly had happened.

Just a little ways away you could hear laughter in the kitchen as Sophia conversed with Mirage and Adray, all sharing their lighthearted sides. The smells of sweet sausage and bacon drifted throughout the house as they sizzled on the gas-lit stove.

Nel had left earlier, saying that she had wanted to fetch one of her workers. She had been awaiting a report from the Queen, and felt that today was her day to receive it.

The only people, besides Nel, that weren't present were, of course, Albel and Izumi.

* * *

In Albel's room it was dark, as always. He never bothered to remove the cover over his window, but let in a faint, dim ray of light, so as to allow him to properly see the sword in his lap. Slowly he ran his sharpening stone over its edge; the grinding sound soothed him in a way no other could.

He muttered to himself as he worked, saying cruel, hateful things to help him stay sane. He didn't understand all of the events that were occurring over and over again, and he hated that. He hated not being able to tell the girl's origin. He hated feeling so defeated, even though in truth he really wasn't. He knew he wasn't, because Izumi was injured as well, and from what he saw in the previous event, he was now healed, and she was still in bandages.

But still… he kept thinking of her as one of the Executioners. He didn't know why, which pissed him off even more, but he did know one thing: no person had ever been strong enough to injure him by themselves, but the Executioners could. They were strong enough, people weren't.

This girl seemed pretty ordinary though, but she just left too much unexplained. Unexplained as in 'why is she performing spells like Symbology without words and at a fast speed?' Fayt had also said that people from the planet Earth weren't advanced enough to learn Symbology.

Albel had just learned the difference between Symbology and Runology himself. Runology required that its users engrave the Runological symbols into their flesh, and was silent when used. Albel had known there to be a possibility for Izumi to be using this, but no one had said anything about markings when they had changed her bloodied clothing. So Runology was out of the question.

Symbology only required that you understand the Symbolic balance and obeyed its laws. No symbols were needed, but you had to speak of the spell you wished to use, so as no secrets were kept in your performance.

Izumi fit neither of these categories.

But Albel couldn't tell anyone that. He couldn't even tell Fayt what had happened during the fight, let alone when she had healed him! He knew exactly what had happened that night; he barely ever slept.

Every once in a while there would be a jiggle of the door handle and a person pleading for him to open the door, and this would of course delay him from his musing. The grinding sound would stop and he'd look up at the door and yell for the annoying human to lay down in a hole and die, then smirk at how stupid he knew they must be feeling for trying to get him to come out.

He knew that all they wanted to do was poke and prod him to see if his skin was 'real' and ask him twenty questions about his last night's history. He hated people.

Down the hall the door handle jiggling was continued as Fayt, Cliff, and Maria persisted on getting in contact with Izumi. But no sign of response was either heard or seen.

From the inside of the room the girl was sitting quietly on the bed gazing out of the glass covered portal that showed the world outside the mansion walls. The townspeople looked like tiny, miniature figures as they roamed the roads, and she admired them. Everything about them she admired. The people here on this small backwater planet were peaceful. Different from Earth, these people knew very little of murder, suicide, rape, and the other felonies that were committed hourly on her home planet.

She felt safer here, _whenever she wasn't being stalked or attacked…_

She had been sitting against the headboard of the bed, knees to her chest. Actually, she had been sitting like this all night. From the moment she had returned from Albel's room, she hadn't moved from that spot. She had wanted to take some time to run a recap on everything that had happened here, and everything that had brought her here. All she received were flashes… little bits, here and there, but nothing solid enough to help her. People running, screaming, pushing, pain, tears, blood, _death_…

The door handle jiggling was now being pushed to the quiet knocks here and there. Izumi took no time to ignore them, and just continued staring out through the window. She was more than sure that they had found Albel and were wanting to ask more questions… she didn't feel up to it.

The sun was up high today. This was leaving questions running through Izumi's mind as well. _Why hadn't they left the mansion yet? Who was Luther? When would she be able to go back home? Did she want to go back home? _

Her attention was pulled to the door as four loud thuds were heard slamming into the wood. It was Albel and she was sure of it.

"Izumi, come out of there, now!" No, just Maria, demanding as ever. Izumi rolled her eyes a bit, but relieved for it to be Maria, and not the Wicked One.

She heard the faint voice of Fayt then, replying to Maria's demands, "maybe she's not in there?"

_'Yea,' _Izumi thought to herself, _'maybe she's not in here.' _Out of the corner of her eye, though, she caught sight of something on the dresser beside her. She took a closer look, this time focusing her vision, and smiled a bit. She hadn't smiled since she had been on Earth, but something about those clean clothes made her feel a bit safer inside.

Turning to rise from the bed she was reminded why those clothes had to be cleaned, and sunk back down into the mattress in pain. Her bandages hadn't been changed once since the incident. She hadn't healed herself because of the simple matter that the spell used for Albel's sized wounds was much too powerful to reuse within a few days. That meant that she would have to wait to use the spell on herself, or just let the wounds heal on their own.

Griping her side she rose again, grabbing the first-aid box next to the pile of clothes on the dresser. She pulled out the bandages and walked back to the bed. She untied the cloth robe that had been used to shield her from the cold and laid it at the foot of the bed. Slowly, wincing and hissing, she unwrapped the blood dried bandage from her skin, throwing it to the floor.

A clean cut had been made by Albel's katana that morning, but you could never tell it without first cleaning the wound.

Izumi hated this part… she grabbed a small bottle of rubbing alcohol that had been stored away in the top drawer of the dresser and a clean rag along with it. Soaking the rag she hesitantly placed it to the wound and prepared for a painful bite. Fine for a moment, her body suddenly went stiff and rigged as she fought to keep from yelping. Her body was numb with pain as stinging shocks gathered at her side and ripped through her like electricity on water. Her fists were clenched and eyes slammed shut, but she never once uttered a sound.

Slowly the pain subsided and her muscles loosened, but she removed the rag only once the alcohol had numbed the wound completely. She wiped the remaining blood that had been left from the previous night and threw the rag to the floor in disgust. In her eyes, rubbing alcohol was worse than _any _blade.

Izumi wrapped the cut in new, clean bandages and proceeded in changing clothing. The same clothes she had been wearing when she first arrived, and the only clothes she would leave this planet in; she would be sure of that.

The sounds outside had ceased and she was more relaxed in what she was doing. Pulling on her final boot she looked around for her katana. She could remember that she had left it in the closet, and was happy to find it untouched on the top shelf. Clipping it to her side she checked each dresser drawer for anything useful.

Pulling out a small comb, she ran it through her hair gingerly, taking time to work out any small knots she found. She had left her bag back on the Diplo, so any of her needed accessories were obviously out of reach.

Gathering all of her courage she reached for the door…

* * *

"Look, Albel, if you don't tell me what happened, I'll-"

"You'll do what? Kill me? Tell the king that I'm keeping secrets and it's pissing you off?"

Albel had finally come out of his room and everyone had left Izumi's door to come swarm him. Maria now had him sitting at the table and was glaring at him directly in the eye. She had had enough of these guessing games, and if she couldn't get to Izumi then… well, Albel had to know a little more.

Everyone could see now that his wounds had dissipated, and his good arm was even better now. Cliff even tried to poke it a bit, but was only backhanded and left to scowl on the other side of the room. It was now Albel, Maria, Fayt, and Adray at the table, but Mirage and Sophia stood not too far away, staring widely as the conversation heated up.

"Why can't you tell us," pressed Maria rather loudly.

"Maybe because I don't remember," he snapped back.

"Is it that," Fayt was speaking now, "or is it really just that you don't _want _to remember?"

"You stay out of this, _boy._"

Just then Nel walked in the door, completely ignoring Albel's instant glares and motioned for Maria to follow her. Sighing in annoyance Maria rose, taking a quick look at Albel with dark eyes, before following the Aquarian woman out of the room.

They stopped at the top of the stairs, Nel wanted to be sure that she was out of earshot before she carried out her conversation.

"Yes, Nel, what is the problem?"

"I received a message from one of my workers while I was out earlier. She told me that she had heard from Arias that the Queen is requesting an audience with our group and the King of Airyglyph. The King is said to be on his way now to Aquios, so we don't have much time before everyone becomes impatient."

Maria rolled her eyes in her mind. She was getting tired of all the stress. "So what is it that you think she wants to say?"

" Probably, it's about Izumi-"

"But she already knows about her," Maria interrupted, "is this about her strength? How would the Queen know about that so soon? She's only been here for a few days, are your _'spies' _everywhere?"

Nel was getting aggravated with the girl now. "They're _not _spies, Maria, they're reporters, they let me know what my orders are when I'm not in Aquios. My thoughts are that Woltar has been spreading the word, that old man is as cunning as Albel is strong."

"Well if we had known about this at an earlier time, we would have headed out before sunrise, but with the way Albel's wounds _were_, we thought it best to stay and let him rest. We don't even know the condition of Izumi, at this point, no one can get her to open the door. We would never make it to Peterny before dark if we were to leave today. We might even have to stop along the way. It's almost noon now."

"If we have to stop, then we will. If Izumi doesn't come down by the time we let everyone know, then I will personally remove the door myself. We can avoid any fights with the Executioners if we must, but we have to move as quickly as possible."

"But what if Izumi is too injured to be running about," Maria questioned. She wasn't in much of the mood to leave out just yet. "I know Albel is ok, but what if Izumi wasn't the one who healed him, and she's still in bed bleeding?"

"Well, if that's the truth, then who locked her door when it was unlocked before everyone went to bed last night," Nel asked, looking at the other woman as if she were stupid.

There was a moment of silence from the blue-haired woman and she turned for the stairway again. Just before she descended, Maria stopped and looked back at Nel, who hadn't moved from her position. "Go get your supplies together, I'll go tell the others."

Nel nodded and headed back for her room.

* * *

"Now wait a minute, you're kidding us, right?" Cliff had the look of shock written across his face.

"Is there a problem, Cliff," Maria looked at him with daring eyes, just asking him to complain. Cliff was taking that offer.

"Yea, I have a bit of a problem with that, it's almost midday, Izumi hasn't come out of her room yet, and we'll never make it to Peterny before nightfall."

"Izumi will be leaving her room shortly, I have sincere thoughts about that, and as for not making it in time, we will have to probably camp out between Arias and Peterny. The Executioners won't come near if we keep a fire lit, so there should be nothing to worry about."

Cliff had nothing more to say about that.

"So what are we supposed to do about the supplies that we haven't collected yet," Albel continued the argument.

"News flash, Albel," Mirage broke in rather smartly, "while you were running around and getting yourself all beat up, Sophia and I were picking up all of our necessities."

"She's not lying," Sophia piped in, sending her high-pitched voice down everyone's nerves.

Albel slouched down even further into his chair and scowled, feeling just as defeated as Cliff felt.

"Alright guys, you heard it then, there's no reason why you can't go up to your rooms and get prepared. I want you all back in the sitting room in ten minutes." The group was shuffling out of the room now, some headed upstairs, while others cleaning up the clutter made from the breakfast meal. Maria turned and shouted after Adray, Cliff, Albel, and Mirage heading up the stairway, "and don't forget to tidy up your rooms before coming back down."

"Dammit, woman, would you shut up already," Albel barked as he stopped his progress up the stairs to lean over the rail and glare at her.

"Fine," she replied with a low, harsh tone, "do it, then."

Fayt and Sophia had stopped their cleaning to watch the woman as she clenched her firsts in aggravation, and were now exchanging muffled laughs and looks. They two found it amusing how Albel and Maria were always at each others' throats; of course, they only thought this because Maria would never go out of her line to strike a group member because it would be going against her place, and Albel followed the simple rule of: _never hit a girl first_.

**To Be Continued…**

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Ok, so that was pretty long, for me anyways. I already have an idea for the next chapter, so I hope to get that done soon. I'm starting to think I should have finished this story before I started posting it, but oh well, I think I would have too much writer's block that way! that's a bad sickness! Lol. So yea, here you go hoped you liked it, and if you did I would like to know. I know it's a bit slow, but it'll get a little better in the next chapter I promise. Byeness for now then! 


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